Google has today announced the latest addition to the Chrome OS family, a Samsung Chromebook that is set to cost just $249, down from $449 for last year's model. The other big change is the move from a x86 based Intel Atom processor to the ARM Cortex A15 Samsung Exynos 5 Dual processor.

The matte grey plastic shell is rather attractive and comparisons to Apple's MacBook Air are bound to occur. The device itself is rather small and light as well at just 2cm thick and 1.1 kG light. The matte LED display is 11.6 inches across and has a 1366×768 resolution. The 30 Wh battery claims up to 6.5 hours of usage. It will also come with 100 GB of complimentary Google Drive storage for two years.

There is also 2 GB of DDR3L memory, 16 GB of storage, SD card slot, 0.3 MP webcam, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, HDMI out. Connectivity wise you're limited to Wi-Fi a/b/g/n but there will be a 3G model available for $329.

It will be available for purchase from the Google Play Store and retailers in the United States and United Kingdom from next week. More information can be found here.

KitGuru says: While some question the usability of Chrome OS, I have every intention to pick up one of these for university next year.

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